


Only Kids Miss Their Parents

by LittleNest



Series: Batfamily Week 2018 [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Batfam Week 2018, Bruce is a good dad, Dick is in denial, Fluff, Gen, day 1: separation or vacation, two days late and a few hundred words short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 13:15:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15510687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleNest/pseuds/LittleNest
Summary: ...and Dick Grayson in neither a kid nor Bruce Wayne's son. (Denial isn't just a river in Egypt)Or, in which Bruce is away and Dick pretends he doesn't miss him until he can't.Written for Batfamily week 2018 Day One: separation or vacation





	Only Kids Miss Their Parents

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [ Batfam week 2018](https://batfamweek2018.tumblr.com) on tumbr, Day One: Separation. Two days late because what am I, punctual? Unbeta-ed because I didn't want to bother my beta at the last minute.

On the first day, Dick was excited.

Bruce would be gone on that business trip two whole weeks, and he got to stay at the mountain with the rest of the team and minimal surveillance, so of course he was excited. What else could be expected from an energetic thirteen-year-old? Only kids missed their parents. He was a teen now, and Bruce was only his guardian anyway.

 

On the fourth day, Dick was bored.

The cave was nice and all, but it wasn't the _Bat_ cave. He loved his teammates, really, but they weren't Batman. Not that he _missed_ Batman or anything, it just so happened that a big part of his daily schedule involved him. Acrobatic training was only that interesting when the only people watching you couldn't tell the difference between a great landing and a botched one.

Yeah, that was it. He didn't miss _Batman_. He just missed having a coach that knew him.

 

On the seventh day, Dick was worried.

Bruce had a bodyguard, sure, and Alfred was with him, but that didn't mean he wasn't in danger. He was used to have convenient batsuits hidden here and there, and a partner watching his back, but he didn't have either of these with him on this trip. What if he got himself in a situation and realized too late he had neither the tools nor the backup to get out?

His worry didn't mean he was overly attached or dependent on Bruce. He was just being a good partner.

 

On the tenth day, Dick was sad.

He missed Batman. No, he missed _Bruce_. He missed growly uncoordinated morning-Bruce, who couldn't be bothered to be human before his morning coffee yet still found it in himself to wish him a good day at school. (Maybe not in so many words, but the sentiment was there anyway.) He missed the quiet complicity of late afternoons in Bruce's study, when he would do his homework while Bruce would do paperwork. He missed the encouraging advice of pre-patrol warm-up and the occasional word of praise during post-patrol cool down.

 

_He missed his dad._

 

As he laid on damp sheets, wide eyes not seeing the ceiling, he just wished it hadn't taken a night terror to realize it.

 

He had taken his phone and hit speed dial before he even had time to think about it. Bruce answered just before the third ring.

 

“Dick? Why are you calling this late? Is there an emergency?”

“I...” His voice locked up as he realized what he'd done. “I'm sorry. I'm okay, I just panicked and I didn't think before calling you. I'll hang up now.”

“Hey, Dick, it's okay, don't hang up. Did you have a nightmare?”

Unable to voice a response, the boy just hummed.

“Was it about your parents?” Bruce's tone was soft, cajoling.

“No, he answered. Well... not really.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Dick paused. Bruce let the silence stretch. He knew the boy needed a moment to gather his thoughts.

“It started at circus, like when I dream about my parents.” His voice caught on a repressed sob. “But it was you on the trapeze.”

Bruce let out a breath.

“I'm okay Dick. I'm safe and I have emergency gear in case something happens. I'll be back soon I promise.”

“I know, I just... I miss you.” Now he was crying.

Bruce hushed him over the phone. Dick managed to get his composure back after a few minutes, but it was clearly fragile.

“Can you stay on the phone for a little while?” he asked.

 

So Bruce spent half an hour talking about boring meetings with spoiled millionaires in a soothing tone, until he was interrupted by a small snore.

 

He smiled.

 

“Goodnight, little bird.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Don't hesitate to say hi on my [ tumblr](https://lil-nest.tumblr.com)!


End file.
